Charles Porter Mattocks

The Charge That Captured Hundreds at Sailor's Creek

Charles Porter Mattocks was an American Union Army officer, lawyer, and Medal of Honor recipient whose distinguished military service spanned the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. He earned the Medal of Honor for extraordinary gallantry at the Battle of Sailor's Creek, Virginia, on April 6, 1865, when he led a charge that resulted in the capture of numerous Confederate prisoners and a stand of enemy colors. His military career eventually brought him recognition as a Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers, an honorary appointment distinct from his substantive Civil War rank of Colonel.

Mattocks was born on October 11, 1840, in Danville, Vermont. He received his education in New England and attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, graduating in 1862. His graduation coincided with the second year of the American Civil War, when Union forces were engaged in major campaigns against Confederate armies across the country.

Rather than remaining in civilian life, Mattocks entered military service. In 1862, he received a commission as a First Lieutenant in the 17th Maine Volunteer Infantry, beginning a military career that would include battlefield command, imprisonment, escape, and distinguished service during the war's final campaign.

The 17th Maine Infantry served with the Army of the Potomac and participated in major operations in Virginia and neighboring states. As a young officer, Mattocks experienced the demands of commanding soldiers during an extended conflict marked by heavy casualties and repeated engagements.

His regiment participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. During the fighting at Chancellorsville, the 17th Maine suffered significant losses. Mattocks and his company were commended in an official report for their conduct on the night of May 2.

Mattocks maintained a wartime journal beginning in April 1863, preserving a detailed record of his experiences. His writings and correspondence provide an important connection to his military career and the experiences of the soldiers under his command.

In July 1863, the 17th Maine Infantry fought at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The regiment was heavily engaged in the Wheatfield on July 2, suffering substantial casualties during the struggle for control of that part of the battlefield.

Mattocks survived the fighting and continued his service as the Union Army carried on its campaigns against the Army of Northern Virginia.

During the winter of 1863–1864, Mattocks advanced in responsibility. He was promoted to Major and temporarily commanded the 17th Maine while senior officers were absent or assigned elsewhere.

In the spring of 1864, he was transferred to command the 1st United States Sharpshooters, a regiment whose soldiers were trained and equipped for specialized rifle service. His new assignment placed him in another demanding combat command as the Union Army prepared for its next offensive.

On May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness, Mattocks was captured by Confederate forces. His imprisonment interrupted his active military command and began a period of confinement that continued for several months.

He was held as a prisoner of war in Confederate custody, including imprisonment in South Carolina. During his captivity, he joined other Union officers in an effort to escape.

Mattocks eventually escaped and returned to Union lines, resuming his military career during the closing period of the war. His return to service brought him back to operations against Confederate forces in Virginia.

By the spring of 1865, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was retreating westward following the collapse of its defensive positions around Petersburg and Richmond. Union forces pursued the withdrawing Confederate columns in an attempt to prevent their escape and force a decisive surrender.

On April 6, 1865, the opposing armies fought at Sailor's Creek, also known as Sayler's Creek, near Deatonsville, Virginia. The engagement became one of the decisive battles of the Appomattox Campaign.

Mattocks led soldiers of the 17th Maine Infantry during the fighting. As Confederate formations attempted to continue their retreat, Union troops attacked and overwhelmed sections of the withdrawing force.

During the engagement, Mattocks distinguished himself by leading a charge against Confederate troops.

His leadership contributed to the capture of a substantial number of prisoners and a stand of Confederate colors. The action demonstrated personal courage and effective battlefield command during an important phase of the Union advance.

The official Medal of Honor citation recognized his extraordinary gallantry in leading the charge. Although the citation does not provide a detailed account of every movement, it clearly identifies his leadership and the resulting capture of prisoners and enemy colors as the basis of his award.

Historical accounts of the engagement credit Mattocks's command with capturing approximately 300 Confederate soldiers, two stands of colors, artillery pieces, and a loaded wagon train. These accounts illustrate the scale of the action associated with his command during the battle.

The Union victory at Sailor's Creek inflicted serious losses on the Confederate army and further weakened its ability to continue the retreat. Three days later, on April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House.

Mattocks's service at Sailor's Creek became the defining military achievement of his career.

Following the engagement, he continued serving in the closing weeks of the war. He attained the substantive rank of Colonel in the Maine volunteers before being mustered out of service in June 1865.

His military service also received recognition through brevet appointments. In 1867, he was confirmed as a Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers, with an honorary date of rank of March 13, 1865, in recognition of his faithful and meritorious wartime service.

This brevet appointment recognized distinguished military service but was separate from his substantive rank as a Colonel during the Civil War.

After leaving military service, Mattocks returned to civilian life in Maine. He pursued a career in law and became involved in public affairs and politics in Portland.

His postwar activities included legal practice and public service, adding a civilian dimension to a life already marked by substantial military experience.

More than three decades after the Battle of Sailor's Creek, Mattocks received formal recognition for his battlefield gallantry.

On March 29, 1899, he was presented with the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 6, 1865. The award recognized his leadership during the charge that resulted in the capture of Confederate prisoners and enemy colors.

The presentation commemorated an achievement from the final days of the Civil War, preserving the record of his courage and the contribution made by the soldiers he commanded.

Mattocks also returned to military service during the Spanish-American War in 1898. His renewed involvement reflected his continuing association with military affairs more than thirty years after his original wartime service.

His career ultimately connected two distinct periods of American military history, from the major campaigns of the Civil War to the military mobilization of the late nineteenth century.

Charles Porter Mattocks died on May 16, 1910, in Portland, Maine, at the age of 69. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

His surviving military records, wartime writings, and official Medal of Honor citation preserve the history of an officer who experienced several of the Civil War's major engagements, endured captivity, and returned to lead soldiers during the conflict's final campaign.

His military legacy is especially associated with Sailor's Creek, where his leadership during an assault helped secure Confederate prisoners and battle colors at a decisive moment in the Appomattox Campaign.

Remembered as a Colonel and honorary Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers, Charles Porter Mattocks earned a lasting place among the United States Army's Medal of Honor recipients through his gallantry on April 6, 1865.